The Role of Conductor on a Cargo Ship

[j.sabourn]

You then became a legless conductor Des ? At least you were in a suitable abode to be thus incapacitated. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Have seen many a person acting in that manner Des, most were as full as a boot at the time.

[Doc Vernon]

Just a reply i got from the Archives, not much did not know but at least we know that there was no Conductor LOL

Dear Mr Vernon MacDonald,

Thank you for contacting The National Archives of the United Kingdom.

We don't hold any photographs for the Bank Line ship Levernbank (not Leverbank). You could try searching online and also contact a couple of archives who have records for Andrew Weir & Co, of Glasgow, owners of Bank Line. The London Archives have company records under the reference B15/149. Click on the reference for details and then click on 'see contact details' to contact them directly. You could also try contacting Glasgow City Archives.

I have never come across the position of Conductor in any capacity in the Merchant Navy. Your best bet would be to locate the crew lists and agreements for the ship and the service records for your father, but you haven't provided sufficient information for me to be able to pinpoint the right records. To make your search viable you need to have his full name and date and place of birth and the time he was on the vessel.


I suggest you consult our guides to records of Merchant Navy crew lists and Merchant Navy seamen in service since 1918 for advice on how to search for them in our online catalogue, where all of our records are listed and described. You can search the catalogue using dates and words likely to match catalogue descriptions. Catalogue descriptions vary hugely, from the very brief (sometimes just a word or two) to detailed descriptions of multiple paragraphs and hundreds of words. Usually, though, they are a line or two of text. A catalogue search does not search the content of the record itself, only the description of the record written for the catalogue. The guide will help you to focus your search and use the catalogue more effectively. For more advice on searching effectively, read our catalogue help pages or our blogs on using the catalogue.

The catalogue also provides details of where each record is held, whether it is here or at one of the hundreds of other archives across the UK whose records are also listed in the catalogue (keep an eye on the ‘Held by’ line for each catalogue search result). If the record is held at another archive you will need to contact that archive directly to find out how you can see their records. If the record is held at The National Archives, the full description (which you arrive at by clicking on its catalogue title) will indicate your ordering and viewing options, including whether the record can be seen online. Online records can be viewed and downloaded either directly from the catalogue or from the websites of our commercial partners (there will usually be a subscription cost to download the record from these sites). Many of our records, however, are not viewable online and for these you can order digital copies to be sent to you by clicking on the 'Request a copy' link contained within the catalogue description (you will need to register your details with us before you request copies).

You or somebody acting on your behalf, are welcome to visit us to search for records here in person, where you can view original records and download online versions for free. We recommend that you book a visit. Please check our news pages for the latest advice on our services and see elsewhere on our website for our regular opening times and advice on researching here. There is also more advice on Freedom of Information on our website.

The limitations on our resources mean we are unable to offer free research but I hope the above advice will help you to search for records yourself.


Yours sincerely,

James Cronan

Merchant Navy Records Specialist
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Enquiry:
Dear Sr/Madam I wonder if you could help at all with this Question. A relative was a Conductor on a cargo ship. The vessel was M V Leverbank built in 1925 and scrapped in 1958. The vessel was part of the fleet for The Bank Line Ltd. In Calcutta, my relative was given a letter stating "To whom it may concern. Conductor S G Hirst is to be allowed access to the vessel at all times ....." I have been unable to locate a photo of the vessel and the meaning of "Conductor" Would there have been such a Position on a Cargo ship? Thank You Vernon

[j.sabourn]

You should have asked them what about the lightning Conductor running down the mast that some ships were said to have Vernon ? JS
I used to walk around with a conductor in my hand to earth passengers landing on deck from a hovering helicopter, however this was a broom shank with an open wire cable attached and earthed to the ships steel deck , for those you didn’t like gave you the opportunity to miss the belt buckle of the harness and give them a slight shock to let them know where they were when their feet made contact. Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John
On my third trip on my first ship the Trevose, being a Jos I was allowed up the mast to paint it, Pulled right to the tip of the top mast I found a I think it was a brass conductor set in on the very top. Once went through a rain storm with balls of lightening bouncing along the deck.
Des

[j.sabourn]

If it was a brass conductor then it could have been a bassoon or even a trumpet , that’s a joke ! Maybe the human one if ever existed should have been sent up every morning to polish it. Cheers JS.
You weren’t the button boy at the Vindi were you ?,if that lightening button had been a trumpet you could have played the last post , especially at this time of year. JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
If the lightening had struck when I was holding it I would have had a early mark on the way to Heaven, at that stage I hadn't enough points for the other place.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

You could have shouted Shazaaaam as you passed superman on his way to Kryptonite to get degaussed . JS

[Peter Thomson]

Tony= I never came across the term 'Conductor' during my service in the MN. However, I have come across it in connection with goods elsewhere. Conductor is ( or was) a rank in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, such a person would likely be aboard the ship as a cargo-owner's supercargo should it be carrying military stores. Ws your forbear in the army at any time ( some of us found ourselves in its uniform at a. stage in our seafaring career). Alternatively, 'Conductor' could be a local term used for a supercargo. Just a couple of ideas.

[Bryan Portwig]

levernbank.jpg have heard of the levernbank